Judas Maccabeus portrayed as a Polish knight in thePlock Bible
second quarter of the 12th century

ET FACTVm EST PoST QVAM PERCVSSIT ALEXANDER PhILIPPI

The Płock Bible is a medieval codex now in the possession of the Diocesan Museum in Płock.
Rev. Ryszard Knapinski wrote that the text, the main initials and some illuminations were a product of the Meuse region in the second quarter of the 12th century
and the codex came to Płock probably thanks to Bishop of Płock Alexander of Mallone (1129-1159) and that the rest of miniatures,
especially those which show characters might have been painted in Płock.1
Among them is a marginal painting on folio 181r which presents Judas Maccabeus together with his arms and armour. His body is covered with long scale armour with a hood and sleeves.
There is a helmet on his head. Judas holds a spear in his right hand and a kite-shaped shield in his left hand. A sword in a scabbard hangs at his left side.
His armour is of considerable length and reaches the knees of Judas. It resembles a long tunic. It also has long sleeves and an added coif which covers Judas' head.
The entire tunic is covered with small scales.